Bangkok: Phingphan-Rakchanok points out that corruption is growing faster than the economy, and to stop the culture of bribery, the Prime Minister must not threaten the public.
According to Thai News Agency, during the 3rd Shadow Cabinet meeting, Ms. Piangphan Boonklam, a member of the People's Party's reform team, highlighted a report from the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) titled "The Real Life of Thai SMEs," which revealed that bribery in large-scale projects is not even accounted for in their survey. This survey, based on a sample of 401 individuals, found that 70% were purchasing or legal managers in SMEs with fewer than 200 employees. This reflects a significant grassroots problem of bribery affecting small business owners daily, with bribery payments growing at a rate faster than the Thai economy, necessitating urgent action.
Ms. Piangphan emphasized that the endemic "culture of bribery" in Thailand cannot be addressed without overhauling the entire "Thai bribery ecosystem," proposing three measures for change. The first measure involves abolishing outdated regulations and reducing unnecessary licenses to eliminate opportunities for official discretion, which often lead to bribery. Although a special committee has been appointed by the House of Representatives to address this issue, true progress will depend on the political will of leaders. Streamlining procedures like construction permit applications could save businesses up to 1.2 billion baht annually in Bangkok.
The second proposal is to reform government procurement and amend ministerial regulations that facilitate monopolies, especially concerning contracts below 500,000 baht awarded to privileged agencies, totaling 400 billion baht. Reform in this area could save approximately 40 billion baht. The third proposal calls for enacting legislation to protect whistleblowers, aligning with OECD standards for which Thailand is seeking membership. However, a survey by the JSCCIB found that most respondents were reluctant to report corruption, indicating a need for a robust protection mechanism to encourage public participation in addressing these issues.
Ms. Piangphan stressed the importance of effective, fair, and rule-of-law enforcement, with independent organizations maintaining true independence and public trust. Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, a Member of Parliament from the People's Party, also highlighted the growing bribery problem in Thailand, citing a survey by the Joint Committee of the Three Private Sector Institutions (JCC) that revealed an increase in government officials soliciting bribes in procurement processes. The JCC recommended utilizing technology to reduce discretionary power.
To address procurement corruption, transparency through public information disclosure and civil society's use of technology for analysis is crucial. The People's Party has proposed opening four government databases via APIs, allowing real-time data access. These databases include information from the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system, company registration with the Department of Business Development, a list of high-ranking officials, and asset accounts under the NACC.
Ms. Rakchanok stated that disclosing API information would enable parties to analyze data, enhancing transparency in government procurement and identifying projects at risk for corruption. Additionally, technology can reduce discretionary power in permit processes, with the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment under scrutiny for bribery instances. Efforts to implement e-work permits and e-ticket systems have faced challenges due to ongoing bribery practices.
The People's Party plans to use the Budget Monitoring Committee to summon agencies responsible for data collection to push for government database accessibility via APIs and address e-work permit and e-ticket system issues, promoting their full and effective implementation.